Beginnings
by Shadokat771
Summary: An attempted kidnapping rocks McGarrett's world in a way he never expected...3rd in a series


Beginnings

The lights were off and a bank of computers on one wall was dark as two figures walked into the room. They took in the abandoned offices, looking like whoever occupied them had just stepped out for a moment and turned out the power as they left.

"Should we even _be _here?" Detective Danny"Danno" Williams said in a hushed tone.

"Nobody's said we couldn't", "his partner, Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett replied as he hit the master switch for the lights. A moment later, the room hummed to life. He looked at Danny. "Let's get started".

The two men walked into their respective offices, examining everything and closing drawers. They were working on bringing the computer back online when they became aware of a third person in the room. There was a scent of fresh baked pastries and pikake in the air.

"Hi guys!" Keka Knighthorse said with an impish grin, holding up a pastry bag from Chase's. "Syd and I thought you'd like to celebrate the band getting back together" She glanced around the room. "Sort of". She was shorter than Danny, and athletically built, dressed in shorts and a thin blue t-shirt covering her swimsuit, with flip-flops and sunglasses propped on the top of her short, sun-bleached, curly blond hair.

"How did you know we were here?" Danny asked, puzzled, not seeing McGarrett's grin.

"Easy", the small woman replied, putting the bag on the edge of the computer table." There's a black '74 Marquis parked next to a silver '11 Camaro in the side lot. My Jeep's keeping them company." Her smile faded. "I do have an ulterior motive, though", she added. It was then that they noticed she was holding a small white envelope. "This came for me at the school this morning", she continued, "postmarked from New Zealand, and there's no return address". She held up the envelope so they could see the front." And I don't know anyone in New Zealand".

"Do you think it's some kind of threat?" McGarrett asked.

She shrugged. I've never had one before", she replied. "But that doesn't mean there can't be a first time". She handed the envelope over to McGarrett and the two men looked it over carefully, even holding it up to the light.

"It doesn't look harmful", McGarrett said as he handed it back to Keka, then stopped part way, an impish grin forming on his handsome face. "This consultation isn't free".

"Oh?" Keka asked a mixture of emotions on her face, curiosity for the most part.

"Dinner tonight"", the dark haired man continued, still smiling.

She thought a moment. It had been nearly two months since her boyfriend, big wave surfer Cody St. James disappeared riding a hurricane fed wave. Time enough to start moving on. "Ok" she said, nodding. "I can do that". She took the envelope and began to open it.

"You're going to read it here?" Danny asked.

"Better here than anywhere else", she replied, taking the letter out of the envelope. As she read, her ocean colored eyes grew wide with shock. "Oh, my god", she said quietly. "It's from Cody. He's alive".

"Don't tell me he surfed all the way from Oahu to New Zealand", Danny said incredulously. "Nobody's _that _good".

Despite her shock, Keka chuckled. "No", she said, "nobody is that good. He washed up at Waialua and somebody found him. He got in contact with some friends who were going to New Zealand and went with them. He wants me to sell off all his stuff—"She paused, her eyes growing wide again. "This is a Dear Jane letter!" She finished incredulously. Several different expressions crossed her face in succession as she paused again. "He wants me to sell everything, only take his extra boards to the school. But the Jeep and the house are up. He wants me to split the money with the school. He's found someone there and he's not coming back". She looked up at McGarrett. Both their expressions were unreadable.

""Wow", Danny said, breaking the silence. 'Definitely a Dear Jane letter".

"Yeah", Keka agreed. She ran a hand through her hair and, grabbing her sunglasses in the processes. "I suddenly have a lot to do before class".

"You have class this afternoon?" McGarrett asked.

She nodded. "Three o'clock this afternoon", she said as she turned to leave. "After school kids"."One of them is the new governor's son".

"Call me if you need anything", McGarrett called after her.

She stopped in the doorway and turned back with an impish smile. "I will", she said. 'You still need to tell me where we're having dinner tonight".

The sun had moved far enough in the sky to put the offices in partial shadow when Danny heard McGarrett's cell phone ring, along with his partner's muffled voice. What he wasn't expecting was seeing his partner bolt out of his office and head for the door.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Danny called after him, trying to catch up. "Wait! What was that call all about?"

"Chin called", the dark haired man answered, slowing down just a little, "en route to a call of shots fired", he paused to take a breath.

"And this concerns us why?" The blond detective asked.

"It's at Queen's Surf Beach", his partner replied, a grim note in his voice.

"Keka's school?"Danny asked. At his partner's nod, he reached into his pocket , took out his keys and tossed them to McGarrett, who caught them easily. "You drive", he said." I've still got the lights".

They arrived on the scene as an ambulance was pulling away. Making their way through the crowd of onlookers and ducking under the tape cordoning off the scene, they found the police department's newest lieutenant, Chin Ho Kelly, looking especially grim.

"Two fatalities", he said with a nod towards two white sheets a short distance away, "and two transported to Queen's in critical condition".

"Who would shoot at a bunch of kids?" Danny began, then stopped, noticing McGarrett's gaze travelling around the scene. The dark haired man's expression was neutral, but there was a worried look forming In his eyes.

"Attempted kidnapping", Chin replied. "Not amateur. Not quite professional". He glanced around, then continued in a quieter voice. "The governor's son was the target", he nodded towards one of the sheets."That's one of his bodyguards under the sheet. I don't think they were expecting any resistance".

"Where's Keka?" McGarrett asked finally.

Chin paused, trying to find a way to soften what he had to say next. "She's one of the two they took to Queen's", he said quietly watching his former boss' jaw tighten and different expressions flicker in his hazel eyes. He was about to say more when a young man of about ten years old approached them, wrapped in a towel and looking determined.

He marched straight up to McGarrett and looked up at him and said, "Commander McGarrett?"

"Yes", the dark haired detective replied, looking down at the boy. "You're Nate, aren't you? The governor's son?"

"Yes, sir", the boy replied. "I wanted to tell you what happened, because Keka is your friend".

McGarrett looked down at the boy, his mind a maelstrom of different emotions. He struggled with them for an instant, then set his expression to neutral, and addressed the boy as if he were a junior officer. "What happened?" He asked quietly.

Nate took a breath before replying. "We were in the middle of class", he began, "and these three guys came from out of nowhere and tried to grab me. Keka tried to fight them off before Mike and Ron could get there, and they shot her". He paused and fought with his own emotions, looking down at the sand. He grabbed the sides of his towel and flapped them open and shut quickly, revealing a light colored t shirt that was spattered with some kind of dark substance. After a moment, he let the towel drop and looked up at McGarrett. "Is Keka going to be ok?" He asked finally, his bravado wavering.

McGarrett stared down at the boy, not seeming to hear him, focusing instead on his spattered t shirt.

Danny followed his partner's gaze and knew instantly what he was looking at.

The spatter was blood. Keka's blood.

"She's going to be fine, Nate", Danny said quickly, catching McGarrett's attention. He wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light or his partner's eyes were brighter than usual, but there was definitely pain in those eyes. "In fact, we're going to the hospital and see her soon. We—" He was interrupted by a commotion nearby, that caught the attention of all three men.

"Where is my son?" An authoritative voice above the others. He was dressed in light colored slacks and a tone on tone aloha shirt, and handsome features were distorted with worry and anger as he looked at the group around him, until he saw his son. The boy ran to him and they hugged each other fiercely. His gaze then stopped on McGarrett who now stood in front of him. " Commander Steve McGarrett", he said, his voice becoming calmer. "You're the one person I'm actually glad to see right now".

McGarrett nodded an acknowledgement, keeping his expression neutral, though a myriad of emotions still flickered in his hazel eyes.

"I know about your work with Ambassador Reeves", the governor continued, "and those kids on the day boat. It was good work". He paused, looking directly at McGarrett. "Finding out who is responsible for this will help you—and your team—prove themselves to me. I can't promise you full immunity this time, but I'll do what I can. Lieutenant Kelly will have to stay on the force for now", he continued, "but I think I can expedite Kalakaua's bail so she can work with you".

"Thank you, Governor", McGarrett replied with another nod. "We'll do our best".

The Governor's phone rang, and there was a tense moment while he checked who was calling. "It's my office", he said as everyone relaxed a little. "If you'll excuse me, gentlemen", he paused as he turned away, with an arm around Nate ."Find out who did this".

"I should have been there, Danny".

Danny snorted, glancing at McGarrett, then looking back at the road in front of them. For once, they didn't argue about who was driving the Camaro. "What are you now, psychic?" The blond detective asked. "You had _no idea_ this was going to happen!" He paused. " Don't start beating yourself up over this", he continued in a quieter voice. He took a better look at his partner. "Too late. Look, if we could make clones of ourselves we would, but we can't so we have to deal with things as they come. And right now, she needs you to be strong". He glanced at McGarrett as he made a turn and said, "you have a cell phone. Use it". No reaction. "Call the hospital before we get to the parking lot", he urged.

He watched as the dark haired man took out his cell phone, punched a number, and spoke.

After a few moments, McGarrett ended the call. "She's in surgery now", he said quietly.

"We'll be there before she gets out", Danny replied. "You can be there when she wakes up".

They reached the parking lot of the hospital a short time later and found a spot not too far from the doors. As they got out of the car, they were approached by a man in dark slacks and a grey tone-on-tone aloha shirt, carrying a long white envelope. "Lt. Commander Steven McGarrett?" He asked.

"Yes, sir", McGarrett replied, his expression neutral, but wary.

The man smiled and handed him the envelope. "Have a good day", he said, then left.

The tall, dark man tore into the envelope and began to read.

"It can't be divorce papers, unless you've been holding out on us", Danny quipped. "So what is it? A summons?"

McGarrett shook his head negatively as he kept reading. "The Governor's reinstated 5-O", he said finally, "to almost full status. Details to be worked out later".

"Almost full status", the blond detective repeated, a note of sarcasm in his voice. He sighed. "Guess that's better than nothing".

Inside the hospital, they made their way to the ICU floor and to the desk, where a nurse sat watching a monitor screen. She looked up when they approached, a pleasant expression on her face.

"Can you tell us what Keka Knighthorse's condition is?" Danny asked.

"She just got out of surgery", the nurse replied. She looked at the two men standing at the counter. "Are either of you named Steve?" She asked.

"Yes, ma'am", McGarrett replied, his voice quiet.

The nurse stood up. "Come with me, please". She said, then lead him to the PACU. "Wait here", she said. She walked though a set of doors, leaving him behind. A few moments later, a doctor walked out of the doors towards him.

"I'm Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett", he said.

The doctor, an older, fatherly looking man nodded and replied, "I'm Dr. Yamazuki", he paused."Ms. Knighthorse came through the surgery with flying colors. She should heal nicely".

McGarrett let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. "That is great news, doctor", he said with a slight smile.

"She's one tough little lady", Dr. Yamazuki said. "Is she a friend of yours?"

"Yes", the dark haired man answered, realizing in that instant that she was much more than that to him. "She's also a witness to a crime committed this afternoon".

The doctor nodded, "I thought I recognized you". He thought a moment. "I can give you ten minutes now".

"Thank you, doctor", McGarrett said, relieved. He touched the doctor's arm as he passed.

McGarrett walked quietly into the dim room. Keka was still asleep, looking pale against the white sheets. He walked to her bedside and gently brushed a few curls from her forehead, replacing them with a soft kiss. He sat down in the chair next to the bed and took hold of her hand, the emotions he had been holding inside so deep and so tight crashing to the surface. The thought of losing her so soon after he found her again almost broke him. He raised her hand to his lips and closed his eyes, feeling the tears he could no longer keep in check seeping out.

A few moments later, he heard her breathing change. She opened her eyes and looked at who was holding her hand and smiled. "Steve", she whispered.

"I'm right here", he replied softly, opening his eyes . He reached out with his free hand and caressed her cheek, smiling. "Right here". When she tried to shift towards him to wipe away his tears, she winced, and he hushed her, moving closer to her.

"There were four of them", she said, trying to speak louder, "didn't see their faces, but they had some serious tats on their arms".

"It's ok", McGarrett soothed, brushing back her hair. "You did what you could". His heart sank a bit as he realized what she had said. "Did you get any look at the tattoos?"

"Definitely Oriental style", she replied, nodding slightly. "Didn't get much details, though. But they went up both arms".

"That's a good start, Keka", he said, smiling. He stood up and leaned over her, close to her face. "You need to rest now", he said, "and get strong.". He placed a soft kiss on her forehead and another one on her lips. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Sleep now".

By the time he reached the doorway, she was asleep again.

Outside the ICU, McGarrett met up with Danny and Chin, who had arrived on scene with two uniformed policemen. "She's gonna be ok", he said, "but she needs a lot of rest". He looked at Chin. "I'm glad you brought them along. She's definitely a witness".

Chin nodded, then smiled. "I also brought something else ", he said, taking a shiny gold and blue object out of a pocket and handing it to him. "I heard you'd be needing this back. I got permission to bring it to you".

McGarrett took his badge and looked at it for a moment, then slipped it on the waistband of his pants. "Thank you", he said. He was about to say more, when the charge nurse approached them.

"Commander McGarrett?" She asked. At his nod, she continued. "We contacted Ms. Knighthorse's brother, and he's asked that you be our contact while he is deployed".

"Thank you, ma'am", McGarrett said.

"Come on", Danny said, "Let me drive you back to your car, then you can come right back here".

When Danny arrived the hospital the next morning, he found that Keka had been moved from ICU to a private room. He nodded to the guard outside, showing his badge, and entered the room quietly, not knowing what to expect. He found Keka awake, propped on pillows, still looking weak and a little pale, but smiling. McGarrett sat in a chair next to her bed, holding her hand while they talked.

"Good morning", he said, smiling. "It's good to see you awake, Keka".

"Thanks, Danny", she replied."It's good to _be_ awake".

Danny caught McGarrett's eye and said, "I've got some news".

Keka saw the exchange and squeezed McGarrett's hand. "Go", she said. "Do your job. I'll be fine".

McGarrett squeezed her hand as he stood up, then leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I'll be back as soon as I can", he said. As he was walking away, he stopped and looked back at her.

"Go on", she said, waving a hand in a shooing motion. "I'll still be here when you get back", she smiled. "I'm not going anywhere".

When they were out in the hallway, Danny said, "the would be kidnappers contacted the Governor last night", he said."They're going to try it again, only not with Nate".

"They're going after the whole family?"McGarrett asked, puzzled. "Why tell us about it?"

"Yeah", Danny agreed, "and that's not the best part".

"Oh?"

"The kidnappers want you", Danny replied wryly. "You're a popular guy".

"That's a good thing", McGarrett countered. "That's a very good thing".

"How?" His partner countered. "How is that a good thing? You're high profile right now. There could be all kinds of problems from that alone".

"But it's me", the taller man said, smiling.

Danny smiled back. "Good point".

_Something_ woke McGarrett from his sound sleep. He froze in place, listening. He had gone back to the hospital that evening to spend as much time with Keka as he could. No one had told him he had to leave, so he had fallen asleep in the chair next to her bed.

He listened carefully with his eyes still closed. Aside from Keka's breathing and the quiet hum of machinery, he heard a quiet shuffling noise, a grunt and a quiet thud in the hallway. Now every cell of his body was on high alert. He heard the door open with a quiet click and the breath of another person coming in on the breeze of the person entering. He opened his eyes to slits and saw first the gun with the silencer, then the heavily tattooed arm holding it.

That was all he needed to see. McGarrett launched himself out of the chair towards the man, and in one fluid motion, had the man disarmed and on the ground. Pinning him down, McGarrett tor the surgical mask off the man's face and then began landing punches, until rage threatened to blind him. He barely heard the bell of the call button going off as Keka was calling for aid, or the sound of someone calling his name. But somehow, cutting through the red haze, he heard Keka's voice, shouting, "Steve!"

He rocked back as police and nurses rushed into the room. The organized chaos swirled around him, but he was only half aware of it. He was more focused on a pair of wide ocean colored eyes gazing back at him. He watched as the fear slid out of them, replaced by gratitude and a little shyness. There was something else shining in her eyes then, but he couldn't be sure he was seeing it. He moved back towards the chair, not taking his eyes off her, and sat down again, catching his breath. "He, ah, " he began quietly.

"I know", Keka said. She reached out and took his hand, bringing it up to her lips and kissing it softly. "Thank you".

"Sir", a nurse said, "I must ask you to leave now".

"No", Keka said with surprising firmness. "He just saved my life. He stays here". She showed the nurse McGarrett's hand she was still holding. "Besides, he's injured. He needs tending to also".

"I wouldn't' try arguing with her at this point", he said with a wry grin.

The nurse nodded, then continued checking Keka's condition. When she was finished, she said, "there doesn't seem to be any further damage done". She looked at McGarrett's hand. "No broken skin", she continued. "You should be fine. Would you like something for the pain?"

"No, thank you", McGarrett replied with a smile. "I'm ok". He looked back at Keka. "I'm fine now".


End file.
